The travel press recently picked up on some TripAdvisor research identifying ‘the lengthiest lines at tourist attractions’ around the world, aka: ‘the places tourists should avoid’. Interesting stuff. Like TripAdvisor’s hotel review platform however, it just so happens that this morsel of analysis furthers their commercial interests. The bespectacled owl, nowadays part of sells ‘skip-the-line’ tickets to … More ‘Line-up, line-up’. A sign of the times.

Most tourists love to watch the glorious Balinese sunsets from colourful beach bars at Kuta, or any number of other beach/horizon/bar combos, while clutching a nice cold Bintang beer or potent Arak Attack cocktail. I read earlier this week that James Baker, an Aussie tourist, has committed himself to bars in Bali… for up to 12 years. That’s behind bars, … More Let’s head for the bars… in Bali

As CEO of a major tour operator, I took few summer holidays over the last 20 years. My responsibilities were across the business, so from May through October I worked closely with our teams as we knuckled down on the tough but intoxicating mix of developing and finalising the following year’s programs: the routes, guest experiences, final accommodation … More Road to Apulia 1

So I just read yesterday that Google is funding a new software project that will automate the writing of local news. Hmm. As a newly signed up blogger and, ahem, travel writer, I thought to myself: ‘John, you’ve got really poor instincts when it comes to timing; just as you launch ‘Travelling Man’, along comes a … More Robots at dawn… will journos and agents survive?